


Our Story

by darkrose705



Series: Let Me Stay [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-16 17:54:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2279193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkrose705/pseuds/darkrose705
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin and Tabby have been together for two years. But being together doesn't automatically guarantee a happy ending for the couple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Typical Day

**Author's Note:**

> REALLY QUICK NOTE! PLEASE READ! It has been brought to my attention that Geoff doesn't want Millie in any fanfics. Although not a lot of people know this, or choose not to listen to this, I decided to take Millie out. I've changed the name to Lori. I even went back to all chapters and changed the name. So if you can, just imagine a different girl, because it's not Millie. This may sound silly, but even though Geoff is never going to see this, it would be on my conscious that I let one of my heroes down by not doing the ONE THING he asked from his fans. It's a small change and people may think it's pointless, but it's a change that means a lot to me. Thanks for reading, and let's get on with the second book! :D

"Tabby Cat!" Gavin squawks from the bedroom. "We're going to be late!"

"Yeah, and I'm ready. So, what the fuck are you doing?!" I shout from the couch.

"I can't find my Vav shirt." He whines.

"So? Wear something else!"

"But I promised Ray I would wear my Vav shirt! Tabby Cat, please!"

I sigh. "You need to keep up with your stuff. Did you check the closet?"

".... Oh," Gavin replies. He comes out of the room, wearing his Vav shirt. "Alright, top. Let's go."

"If we're late to work, I'm blaming you." I tell him as we make our way to my car. Gavin and I have been together for almost two years (our Anniversary is coming up). Everything is going great... Until today.

We arrive to work. On our way into the building, Gavin started asking his hypothetical questions. "Alright, you can have all the money in the world-"

"That's a lot," I interrupt. "I'm sold. I don't give a shit what it is. I'll do it."

"Let me finish, Tabby Cat!" Gavin whines.

Ryan just so happens to be walking in the same time as us. "I bet you were saying that a few times last night." He mumbles under his breath.

"Ryan, you mung! Stay out of it!" Gavin squawks. "Now, you get all the money in the world, but you have to give up sex."

"This one is pretty weak, Gavin." I shake my head. "I'm disappointed. I'll take the money."

"But Tabby Cat, that means we can shag anymore!" Gavin argues as we settle into the Achievement Hunter office.

"Gavin, it's all the money in the world! Think of all the good I can do for the world. And besides, I can buy a bunch of sex toys or something!"

"No you can't!" Gavin tries to find a way out of the loophole I found. I can hear the office listening in on our strange conversation.

"You never said I couldn't! Besides, you can still get blow jobs and stuff so why does it matter to you?"

Michael groans. "Oh, God. What the hell are you guys talking about now?"

Jack shakes his head. "I don't even want to know."

"No!' Gavin pouts. "I gave her the option of giving up sex or getting all the money in the world, and she chose the money!"

"I figured if I could be the sacrifice for the whole world to be fixed, then why not!" I argue. "Money can fix world hunger, diseases, and shit like that. The world would be a much better place if I had all the money and invested it where I see fit."

"I'm with Tabby on this," Ray answers, not looking away from his desk. "Only I wouldn't be using the money to better the world. Think of all the McDonald's you can buy with all that money! And shoes, and games, and damn, now I suddenly feel broke."

"But if you think about it," I add. "If you had all the money in the world, no one else would have money. So would there even be a McDonald's or new games coming out? Like everything would stop being made unless you paid someone to do it."

"That's even better! Now I can make everything have my face on it! Actually, never mind. That's pretty scary. I'll still take the money, though!" Ray laughs.

"Then your responsible for the world, essentially." I continue. "If people are going to work for you, you have to pay them. And that money goes to providing a home for the worker."

"And that money will go back to me!" Ray shouts. "I win! I am God!"

"But, Tabby Cat," Gavin continues to whine. "Would we still be together? Like if we don't sleep together-"

"Gavin! Couples do other things! We don't have to fuck to stay together!" I remind him.

"I'm quickly getting uncomfortable with this conversation." Jack laughs nervously.

"Right, but Tabby Cat, like half the reason you go out with someone is to sleep with them and only them, right?"

"I guess that's kinda true. So, in your eyes, what's the other half?" I chuckle. I love getting into silly conversations with my boyfriend.

"I mean, I suppose the other reason is to be with them because you're happy with them." Gavin shrugs.

"You suppose? Oh, how sweet." I say sarcastically.

"You know, you date someone to see if you want to marry that person. You all know that, right?" Geoff laughs.

I don't know why, but the atmosphere was suddenly uncomfortable. I look over to Gavin. He's completely frozen with shock. He wouldn't even look at me. We were all joking around having fun. Why is he being so serious? "Gavin, are you alright?" I place a hand on his shoulder.

He nods. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" He says, sounding normal. His voice doesn'y match his body language. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

Geoff quickly picks up that he may have drifted into a dangerous territory. "Alright, today, let's start with a Let's Build-"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a few Let's Plays, I take a break to get some coffee. The kitchen is right outside the Achievement Hunter office, so I didn't have to go far. "Tabby!" Barbara prances into the kitchen after me.

"Barbara!" I smile. "Where are you coming from?"

"I just recorded some lines for RWBY season four," She sighs. "I'm pretty beat. Being energetic like Yang wears me out."

"But Yang is similar to you. You're always that energetic." I chuckle.

"It's different when you're in the booth!" Barbara pouts.

"God, don't you start pouting, too." I laugh. "Gavin was being cute this morning until-" My face drops. I realize Gavin is still acting weird after Geoff's comment.

"Something wrong?" Barbara tilts her head.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." Barbara sits on the table.

I hop on the table next to her. "So, me and Gavin have been together for a while. November 14th is going to be two years."

"Oh, that's next week, right? I bet your excited!" Barbara beams.

"I am," I weakly smile. "I'm really happy with Gavin. But do you think it's weird that we have been together this long and he hasn't... proposed?" I hesitate. 

Barbara scrunches her forehead. "Hmm...." She hums. "I don't think so. I think it's okay. What's bringing this up?"

"Well, long story short, Gavin got weird after Geoff brought up marriage. I thought maybe it's me. Maybe he doesn't want to get married to me." My head tilts down. Why would he want to marry me, anyway?

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Barbara shakes her head. "Maybe he's just not ready."

"He almost married Katrina and he only knew her for about five months." I say, flatly.

"Which is why it makes sense that he doesn't want to rush this decision." Barbara reasons. "Besides, he was only trying to marry Katrina to get over you."

"Yeah, but now that he has me, wouldn't it make sense if he wanted to marry me right away? I mean, he put in all that effort to get over me, and it failed! And now that he has me, shouldn't he want to keep me?" I cross my arms.

"I see where you're coming from, but again, don't stress about it. Gavin loves you. He's probably taking it slow so he doesn't lose you."

"I guess..." I sigh.

"So, back to your original question, no. I don't think it's weird that you aren't getting married right now. Some couples take a long time. And that's okay," She reasons. "Besides," She adds. "Look at Ryan and Riley. They've been together just a little longer than you two and they aren't engaged or anything. So I think it's okay."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I need you're help with something," Ryan stops everyone in the office from leaving. "Riley's birthday is coming up on the 17th and I want to propose to her." He smiles.

"Wow, that's great, Ryan!"

"How can we help?"

While everyone congratulates and offers help, I stay locked into my seat. Of course, Riley is going to say yes. I'm happy for them. But when is it going to be my turn...?

"Okay, so I was thinking I would take her out to dinner, take her on a walk at Willow Parks, rent a bunch of  electronic fire tiki torches, then you guys can mount those on the ground before we get to the spot. Then you all will hide in the bushes. When I give the signal, you activate the torches and tape our proposal."

And he has a cute proposal planned. How wonderful. I can't help but feel a bit bitter.

"Sounds top! We'll help out as much as we can!' Gavin chimes in.

Really? He's in favor of other people getting married? Then what about us?

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You haven't said a word since we got home," Gavin comments as he cuddles next to me on the couch. "Is everything alright?"

"Mmhm." I nod. I can't really tell him what's bothering me. He might get freaked out.

"So, I was thinking about what we should do for our Anniversary."

My mood begins to perk up. "Oh? What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I was thinking we can skip work and stay in bed until noon.Then we can go get lunch. After that, we can wander the city, maybe go to the Blanton Museum."

I raise an eyebrow. " _You_  want to take me to an art museum?"

Gavin shrugs. "Yeah, well, you know, you like that sort of thing lately and I like being with you, so I figured we can't lose." 

"Hmmm," I cuddle closer to him. "What else?"

"I was going to take you on a late night walk through Willow Park, but Ryan is taking Riley. So he beat us to it." He laughs. "That's where I ended up drunk, remember? That's where you found me."

"I remember," I giggle. "I was just trying to get back to my spot to sleep, and then I stumbled across you."

"Not my fault! I didn't think I was going to get drunk! I just slammed too many!" Gavin argues.

"It's still your fault," I shake my head. "But I'm glad you did. I would've never went home with you that night."

"Speaking of bevs," Gavin grins, getting up. "Want a beer?"

"Ick." I stick my tongue out.

Gavin rolls his eyes. "Right. You like those fruity drinks. You're such a girl."

"Beer is disgusting!" I whine.

Gavin points, pretending to be angry. "You take that back."

I smile and argue back. This is a typical night for us. "Arguing" about something silly. This is what I love about us.


	2. Our Anniversary

I wake up a few minutes before our alarm. I've always been an early riser. I turn to face a sleeping Gavin. I study the peaceful look on his face. I never get tired of this sight. The way his chest rises and falls slowly, the way his lips part slightly, the way his uncombed hair tumbles over his forehead. He's so perfect.

The alarm goes off, causing Gavin to jolt up. Damn, I was going to turn it off so he can sleep, but I got so distracted.

"Morning, Tabby Cat," Gavin smiles, his voice thick with sleep. "I'll call Geoff in a few minutes so he know we aren't coming in."

"He knows it's our Anniversary. On our way out yesterday, he told me not to come in today. And he and Griffon wants to take us out for dinner."

"Top," He drapes his arm around me, cuddling me close. "Are you excited for today?"

I nod. "Yeah. So, when do you wanna exchange presents?"

"Later. Maybe at the end of the day." Gavin rubs his nose against mine.

"Careful with that thing. You're going to poke an eye out." I tease.

"Don't be mean!" Gavin laughs.

I silence him by pressing my lips to his. I roll on top of him, deepening the kiss.

"That kind of morning, is it?" Gavin smiles, breaking the kiss.

"It could be." I smile back, reconnecting our lips.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where do you want to go for lunch?" Gavin asks as I pull my red hoodie over my head.

"Hmmmm," I begin to think. "It really doesn't matter to me. Where ever you want to go." I shrug.

"Why don't we get some pizza?" Gavin offers.

"I'm not in the mood for pizza." I shake my head.

"Sub sandwiches?" He tries again. I shake my head. "Well, what do you want?!" Gavin shouts.

"I don't care!" I tell him again.

"You obviously care if you keep shooting down what I say!" Gavin laughs.

"I want a burger!" I answer.

"Fine! At least I got an answer out of you." Gavin smiles, as we leave our apartment. "Right. Now, after lunch, we go to that art museum!"

Honestly, I never thought I would hear those words out of Gavin's mouth.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wot?" Gavin tilts his head, staring at a painting. "Wot is that?!" He squawks.

"Gavin," I giggle. "Keep your voice down, babe." I look around the room. Other art viewers are glaring at Gavin for his outburst. As much as I want to tell them to keep their eyes to themselves, I'd rather not get kicked out.

"I don't get it!" Gavin says in a hushed tone. "The little girl is lost in this forest! Why is she smiling?"

"It's so easy!" I tell him. "If you notice, the little girl isn't looking behind her. She's looking ahead. This could have two meanings, ignorance orhope."

"How do you figure?" Gavin crosses his arm. "Those are two completely different things!"

"Ignorance because she isn't aware of the evil that's lurking behind her," I explain. "For all we know, maybe she does know, but she chooses not to acknowledge it. Or, it could be positive. The darkness and evil is behind her. If you notice, there's a light reflecting on her face, meaning there's "a light to end the darkness". She's smiling because she's out of that darkness. She found her happiness."

Gavin stares blankly at the painting. "Nope. Don't get it."

I sigh and shake my head. "Let's go look at the sculptures." 

We move on to the next room. The first sculpture we come across is a couple and another woman. It appears the man is looking longingly at the other woman. The woman has  The couples' hands are broken off. It looks like they were suppose to be holding hands. 

"Look at this, Gavin," I walk up to the description. "It's called Broken Promise." I begin to read. "The artist created this statue to represent her and her fiancee as an wedding present. Days before their wedding, the man ran away with another woman. Heart broken, she broke off the holding hands and added the woman into the sculpture. The artist remains anonymous."

"That's so depressing," Gavin yawns. "Why would you display something stupid like this? I bet this didn't even happen."

"I would hope not. I can't even imagine what it's like to be left like that. Days before your wedding." I shake my head. "It must suck."

"Well," Gavin pauses. "Remember, we kinda did this to Kat. And that was the day OF the wedding."

I feel my eye twitch at the mention of her name. I still hate her. She almost took my darling away from me. How could he even mention her name on a day like this?

Gavin instantly picks up on my irritation. "Right. Sorry. Being positive on our Anniversary!" Gavin places his hand under my chin and tilts my head up to meet his green eyes. (Which isn't that much, honestly. We are pretty much the same height.) "I love you."

"I love you, too." I give him a kiss on the nose. "Let's move on."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There they are! The love birds!" Griffon waves us over to the table.

"Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" I apologize as Gavin pulls out my chair.

"Yeah, I couldn't pull her out of that damn art museum." Gavin says as he sits next to me.

"Oh, we weren't waiting that long. Don't worry," Geoff waves his hand. "I hope you don't mind, we ordered some drinks already." On cue, the waiter arrives at our table with a bottle of wine. "I hope you guys like it. I told them to bring out the fancy shit. Everything is on me tonight."

"Oh, Geoff! Thanks! That's so nice!" I smile. I hold out my glass for the waiter to pour me a glass.

"Nothing is too good for you two," Geoff raises his glass for a toast. "You're like family to me. And I'm so happy that you two have figured things out. You two should've been together from the beginning."

"That's what I always thought." Gavin says, smiling at me.

"You almost got married." I remind him.

"Only because you were with someone else." he shoots back.

Okay. True. Being with Michael was not the best idea. But it seemed like it at the time.

"Hey, all that doesn't matter. What matters now is that you are happily together for two years." Griffon steps in.

Again, true. Gavin is mine and I'm his. Nothing else matters.

"So when are you guys getting married?" Geoff jokes.

I blush. "Oh, stop."

Gavin shifts in his seat. Uh oh. Not again....

"Gavin," I say in a hushed tone. "Relax. He's kidding."

"I am relaxed." Gavin says through a fake smile.

"Does the idea really sound that bad, anyway?" I mumble.

"What was that?" Gavin asks.

"Nothing." I shake my head.

The air is thick with tension. Geoff picks up that he stumbled into a sensitive subject. Again. "Hey," He clears his throat. "This sounds good! What do you guys think?" Geoff points to the menu, desperately trying to change the subject.

Gavin nods and offers a small smile. Boy, this is going to be a long night.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks for dinner!" I say, giving Griffon a hug. 

We managed to put on a good face for Geoff and Griffon. wave and go to our separate cars.

"So, are you going to talk to me?" Gavin asks, breaking the silence.

"About what, Gavin?" I sigh, driving off.

"Wot's gotten into you lately?"

"Me? You're the one who gets weird every time someone mentions marriage." I grumble.

"Do not!"

"Yeah, you do!" I argue. "Why don't you want to marry me?" I ask softly.

"Tabby," Gavin groans. "Don't do this. Not today."

"Then when are we suppose to talk about this?" I shout as I park our car.

Gavin hops out of the car and storms into our apartment.

I follow close behind. "What's wrong with me? Why are you afraid of marrying me?!"

"Nothing, Tabby. I really don't want to talk about this!"

"But I do!" I continue. "We act like a married couple! Why not just make it so?! Is it because you don't love me?"

That's what you do, right? You fall in love and get married! That's life... right?

"No! That's not it!" Gavin rakes his hand through his hair in frustration. "It's more complicated than that!"

"Then what is it?!" I growl.

"You're only twenty two! You shouldn't even be worried about that now!" 

"I can worry about whatever I want! Don't tell me what to worry about!" I cross my arms.

"Tabby, you're too young to understand! You can't just marry someone! You have to be sure about someone!"

"So, you're not sure about me?" I shoot back.

"Grah! Tabby!" Gavin shouts in frustration. "You're so immature! This is only your second relationship! I think you're rushing to get married just to be married!"

I don't respond. How could he think that? I'M immature?! This coming from a man who plays pranks on his workmates, or pouts and argues every time he doesn't get his way. He's calling ME immature?! And what exactly is he trying to say? I love him. That's why I want to be with him.

Gavin takes a deep breath. "Can we drop this, please?" 

I nod. "Yeah. Sorry." My shoulder's droop. I don't want to fight anymore. Not on our Anniversary.

"Ready for your present?"

I perk up. Now THAT'S how you cheer a woman up! I start bouncing up and down. "Present! Present!!" I clap.

Gavin chuckles. "You're like a hyper little monkey." 

"I wanna go first!" I shout, rushing to the closet. I pull out the box and hand it to him.

"Hmm... What could it be?" He asks, ripping off the tape. He pulls out the jar of colorful notes. "Wot's this?" He examines the jar.

"In this jar, there are combinations of my favorite memories of us and things that I love about you."

Gavin smiles. "I'm not going to look at every note now. I'm going to read one every morning. Now it's your turn," He sets the jar aside and walks into the bedroom. I sit on the couch, patiently. Gavin comes back with a small box and an envelope. "I have three parts to your gift."

"No, now my gift looks lame!" I whine.

"No, stop it! I love your present!" Gavin smiles. "Besides, two of the parts involve both of us!"

I open the small box. It's a silver bracelet with hearts. Gavin helps me clasp it on my wrist. "I love it." I beam at the bracelet.

"Now, part two." He hands me the envelope. 

Without hesitation, I rip open the envelope. There's a print out of a receipt for plane tickets. "Tickets to England?!" I smile. I look at the date. "That's so cool! We're going in March! What's going on in March?" I ask.

"Well, we need a little bit of time. We're going to be busy moving." Gavin bites his lip to hide a grin.

"Moving?" I look at him.

"Well, surprise number three." He holds up a key. "I found a bigger apartment that's closer to the new office."

"A bigger apartment?!" I smile. I like our current apartment and all, but it's a little too small. There's no space but it was all we could afford when we first moved in together.

"I know how much you miss England and Mum would really like to see you again. Did I do well this Anniversary?"

"Yes, you did very well." I kiss the tip of his nose. "Can we drive by the new place tomorrow? I want to check it out."

"Yep. Let's go after work." Gavin agrees.

The marriage thing is still on my mind, but I push it back to try and focus on our new place. Things will get better soon, right?


	3. Why I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Tabby move into the new apartment, discovering a fun little surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very sorry on the wait for this!

I wake up before Gavin. I rise out of bed as quiet as I can and start getting ready for work. Gavin remains in bed, snoring. I always let him sleep until the alarm. I know how much he loves his sleep.

The alarm goes off and Gavin stirs awake. He shuts off the alarm and yawns. “Good morning, Tabby Cat.” He rubs his eyes, lazily smiling at me.

“Good morning!” I cross over and plant a kiss on his forehead.

Gavin reaches into the Memory Jar I gave him for our Anniversary and pulls out a piece of paper.

“I love you. Reason eight,” Gavin reads the paper. “I love your loyalty. I’m so glad I can be able to trust you.” Gavin smiles. He sets the paper strip in an envelope. He’s been separating the ones he’s read already so he makes sure to read every note.

“I’ll get started on breakfast. We have a long day ahead of us.” I slip on a robe.

Gavin groans. “Can’t we hire movers? I don’t wanna do anything today!” Gavin curls back into the bed.

“We don’t have that many things. I want to get mostly everything moved in today. Now get up. We’ll pack up the sheets after breakfast.” I roll my eyes. It’s like I’m dating a big baby.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We pull up to the new apartment complex. Gavin looks up and groans. “I regret picking the apartment on the top floor now.”

I giggle and hop out of the car. I pick up a box. “Come on. Lead me to our new home.” I sing.

Gavin sighs and picks up a box. “Mi-cool and Lindsay are coming over to help. I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s fine,” I nod as Gavin leads me into the building. “This will get done quicker.”

We ride the elevator up to the fourth floor. “We are in apartment 403. It’s on the end.” Gavin says, leading me to our new place. He unlocks the door and we wander in.

We walk through the kitchen and into the living room. We set the boxes down.

“I can’t wait to see how everything looks when we’re all moved in!” I clap as I start to leave to pick up more boxes. Gavin grabs my wrist.

“Hold on, love.” Gavin smiles, pulling me close to him. “We still have plenty of time before Mi-cool and Lindsay shows up.”

“Oh?” I smile. “Is that so?” 

Gavin nods, pulling me in for a kiss.

A knock at the door stops us. “You must be the new neighbors,” a familiar female voice interrupts. “It’s not wise to leave the door wide open.”

Gavin and I turn to our new neighbor.

God damn it…

Gavin gasps. I narrow my eyes. 

Katrina stands in the doorway frozen once she realizes who we are. “Long time, no see, Gavin.”

Gavin’s mouth drops open, trying to find something to say. No words come out.

“You… live here?” I gulp.

Katrina nods slowly. “So it’s true, Gavin? You really did start dating Tabitha.”

“Uh… Yeah…” Gavin scratches the back of his head.

“Well, it seems you two are doing well.” Her eyes switch between me and Gavin. She crosses her arms. I don’t like the way she’s analyzing us.

“How…. How have you been?” Gavin gulps.

“Fine. Just fine considering I went through a bad break up two years ago. Being left at the alter sucks but I suppose that’s not too big of a deal.” There’s a hint of spite in her voice.

“Still mad about that, huh?” Gavin shifts uncomfortably.

Don’t snap at my Gavin. I open my mouth to speak.

“We’re here!” Michael calls as he approaches our apartment. I see him standing behind Katrina. “What the fuck is she doing here?” Michael snorts.

“Michael,” Lindsay says in a warning tone. “We… uh… brought up some more boxes…” Lindsay holds up a box.

“We’ll continue this later?” Katrina asks. Gavin and I nod slowly before Katrina moves awkwardly around Michael.

Michael and Lindsay shuffle into the apartment. “Why is she here?” Lindsay hisses when Katrina is a safe distance from our apartment.

“She lives here…” I feel my blood begin to boil. 

“Did you know about this?” Michael steps forward, looking at Gavin.

“No!” Gavin answers quickly. “If I did, I would have picked a different place, yeah? Why would I want to live near her?”

“She better watch her mouth,” I growl. “I don’t want to hear her say anything rude about you, Gavin. You did what you had to do. The nerve of that bitch.”

“Did something happen?” Lindsay tilts her head.

“She mentioned the wedding!” I scoff. “That’s in the past. Get the fuck over it.”

“You can’t blame her….” Lindsay clears her throat. “Sure, we don’t like her, and maybe she was a bit of a bitch. But if you think about it, Gavin was kinda using her. Katrina’s feelings for Gavin were probably real.”

“Thanks for rubbing it in!” Gavin groans.

“I’m not trying to rub it in,” Lindsay shakes her head. “I’m sure this situation is uncomfortable for her as it is for you.”

“I guess…” I grumble. I hate it when Lindsay is right. Which is pretty much all the time.

“So… Now what? Are we still unpacking your things or are we looking for a new apartment?” Michael shrugs.

“Looking for a new apartment.” I declare, picking up a box.

“Now hold on!” Gavin crosses his arms. “I found this apartment! It’s a good price, close to the office and it’s a great place!”

“But she’s here!” I argue.

“Why are you letting her ruin this? Just because she lives here, doesn’t mean we can’t. I’m not going to let her run us out of here.” Gavin frowns. “Besides, who says we have to see her? We’ll see her in the halls once in a while, but that’s pretty much it.”

I sigh. “I suppose…”

“So…..” Michael waits for an answer.

“Let’s start unpacking.” I answer.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This is top, don’t you think, love?”

I sigh, dropping down on the couch. I’m so tired. “It’s really nice. You were right, Gavin. Staying here was a good call.”

“I was right?” Gavin grins, creeping over me on the couch.

“Don’t start.” I point a finger at him.

“But I was right!”

“Shut up, Gavin!” I warn him. Of course, he is right. I was being silly. I’m not crazy about the idea of Katrina living near us, but what am I afraid of? Gavin left her for me. There shouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure he has no left over feelings for her and she better not have any for him. End of story.

“Love,” Gavin calls from the bedroom. I didn’t even notice him leave. “Let’s get some sleep!”

“Go on without me. I’m not tired yet.” I answer.

“But I’m not either!” Gavin whines.

“Then why do you want me to come to bed?!” I shout.

Gavin peeks out of our new room, grinning. “Come to bed and you’ll find out.” He wiggles his eyebrows.

“Ew. Are you trying to seduce me? It’s not working.” I sigh, shaking my head.

“Alright then,” Gavin walks out of the room, standing over me. He bends down, cupping his hands around my face. “How’s this?” He asks in a low voice.

I gulp. “It might be working a bit better.”

“Good.” He says before his lips graze mine.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I wake up wrapped up in Gavin’s arms. His slow and heavy breathing indicates that he’s still in a deep sleep. . I smile, plant a kiss on his cheek, and slip out of bed. I walk into the living room and grab our laundry basket. We probably should have done laundry before we left the old apartment, but we forgot. Anyway, this gives me the perfect opportunity to find the washing machine.

I locate the laundry room on the ground floor. I pick a washing machine and throw our clothes in.

“Laundry day for you too, huh?” A familiar voice says behind me.

I roll my eyes before turning to face the source. “Hey, Katrina.”

Katrina picks the washing machine next to me. “So, what brings you to this apartment complex?”

“It’s closer to work. Gavin picked it out.” I avoid eye contact, continuing to throw my clothes in the machine. Why is she trying to talk to me, anyway?

“Oh, that’s nice,” She replies. “It’s really rare for married couples to move here. Typically, it’s just single people-”

I snap my head in her direction. “Sorry, what? Gavin and I aren’t married.”

“Oh. Really? It’s been two years,” She tilts her head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t assume things like that.”

I feel a slight stab at my heart. I know how long it’s been. I wish we were married. “Well, I suppose it’s alright. Anyway, Gavin and I are fine the way we are.”

“That’s good….” Katrina’s voice trails off. She continues her laundry, keeping herself busy. After a few seconds of silence, she speaks again. “So why aren’t you married yet?”

“That’s really none of your business.” I snap.

“I know! I’m sorry. It’s just weird. Gavin likes to move fast, and I know he cares about you, so I just figured you would have been married by now.” She rambles.

“You don’t know him like I do,” I scoff. “Gavin likes to take things slow.”

“Sorry. I’m not trying to upset you. Maybe there’s something wrong-”

“Look, why don’t you just leave me alone?” I growl. “There’s nothing wrong. Gavin and I are completely happy.” I don’t know who I’m trying to convince anymore.

“My mistake.” Katrina throws her hands up in defense. “Good to know you’re doing well.” She slams the washing machine door and leaves.

“Who does she think she it?” I grumble. Gavin and I are happy! We don’t have to be married to be happy.

Then again, why aren’t we married? I know, I’ve asked this before. But marriage is something I’ve always wanted. I’m trying to be patient, but it seems selfish that he’s not even considering it.

Once I finish putting a load in the washing machine, I walk back up to the apartment. Gavin is wandering the kitchen. “Bollocks. We need to get food! Want to drive me to the store?”

I simply nod, avoiding eye contact. 

“Tabby?” Gavin knits his eyebrows. “What’s wrong?”

I shake my head. “Nothing. Let me get dressed and then we can go.” I try walking to the bed room, only to have Gavin block my path. “No. What happened?”

“Gavin, I don’t want to talk about it now.” I say in a stern voice. 

He studies me for a moment. “Later?”

“Later.” I promise him. 

Gavin sighs. “Okay, get dressed.”

I quickly throw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie and we head out the door. I stay quiet the entire car ride to the super market.

As soon as we step foot in the store, Gavin sprints off. “Gavin!” I shout after him. “I swear, he’s like a child.” I sigh, grabbing a shopping cart. “Gavin!” I call again, walking in the direction he ran off to. Suddenly, Gavin is throwing things in the cart. “Wait a minute!” I scold. I start shifting through the items. “Hmmm… Cookies, chips, soda? We don’t need all of this.”

“Yes we do!” He grins. 

“I hope you know we need healthy stuff, too.” I remind him.

“I know. I was grabbing all the important stuff first!”

“Gavin, I swear….” I shake my head. Gavin takes off in another direction. “Now where are you going?!”

“Continue shopping! I’ll be back!” Gavin calls back.

“Why can’t you sit still for a second?” I sigh. I continue the rest of our shopping. Gavin makes his way to me, his hands behind his back. “There you are,” I try to peek behind him. “What’s that?”

Gavin pulls a bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

“For me?” I take the flowers from his hands.

“I’m crap at making people feel better, you know that, right? I don’t even know what to say. I’m trying to be bloody romantic, but I don’t know how. What I do know is that I hate seeing you upset. You know I love you. I just want you to know that no matter what it is, you can tell me anything.”

“I want to get married.” I blurt out.

Gavin stares at me for a moment. “I…. I don’t know how to help with that….”

“Oh….” I place the flowers in the cart. “… Let’s just go home. I think we have everything we need.”

“Alright.” Gavin says.

We remain quiet in the check- out line. Gavin pays and we get into the car.

“Can I ask you a question?” Gavin asks quietly.

I nod, not taking my eyes off the road.

“Why are you so set on wanting to get married to me?” 

“What kind of a question is that?!” I ask, raising my voice, slightly.

“Well?”

“Gavin, it should be obvious! I love you! That’s what you do when you love someone. You get married.”

Gavin stifles a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” I snap.

“That’s not the point of marriage. You’re not making a very good point.” Gavin shakes his head. “This is only your second relationship and you’re still so young. You can’t possibly know what you want.”

“Why is it so hard to believe that I want to be with you forever?” I ask, feeling frustrated. “And what do you know about marriage? You almost married a girl without even knowing her? Don’t pretend that you know more about life than me.”

Gavin leans against the car door. “We’re just not ready. And I think it’s so bloody selfish of you not to let this go.”

“I’m selfish?!” I growl. 

“You don’t want a marriage. You want a wedding.” Gavin crosses his arms.

“Not true!”

“Then why do you want to marry me?!” Gavin shouts.

I remain silent. Gavin stops asking questions.

Honestly, I don’t know why I want to marry him. I love him. Isn’t that reason enough. That doesn’t mean he’s right! I hate how he assumes that I don’t know what I want. I want him.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stupid me forgot about our laundry in the laundry room. Luckily, it was still there. I throw it in the drier and head up to the apartment.

Gavin is sitting on the couch, watching T.V. Even though I’m mad at him, I sit next to him. Even though he’s pissed off at me, he wraps an arm around me. I snuggle up close to him and we watch whatever horror movie is on.

“I bet you that she’s going to trip and fall.” I break the silence as we watch the killer sneak behind the next victim.

“No way,” Gavin shakes his head. “The broad is going to run in the garage instead of going outside.”

In the movie, the girl spins around screaming. She tries to run, but trips and falls.

“Damn.” Gavin chuckles.

“I win.” I smirk.

“Not yet. The movie’s not over.” Gavin reminds me.

We continue to watch the movie. “This is why.” I say quietly.

“What was that?” Gavin leans closer to me.

“This is why I want to get married, Gavin.” I look into his green eyes. “I love you. That’s one reason. The other is that even after we get angry, we’re both willing to look past our disagreements. I’m sorry if I’ve been selfish. But I’m in love with you and I don’t want to be with anyone else. I don’t have a good answer yet. But I will find that reason why.”

Gavin takes a deep breath before answering. “Once you figure out that reason, we’ll talk about it.”

My eyes widen. “Talk about getting married?!”

Gavin nods. “I’m not doing this to be mean. I just don’t want you to make a decision you’ll regret. Is that fair?”

“That’s fair!” I answer immediately. He’s almost ready to talk about it! That’s a good sign! I think we’re finally heading in the same direction.


End file.
